Rwanda Twongere

Rwanda Twongere is a coffee with the potential to become a favourite bean for many of you. It combines the strength and bold character typical of robusta — but without the tar-like bitterness — with the sweet, fruity notes Rwanda’s arabicas are famous for. We roast it to a Vienna profile by default, which makes it perfect for espresso machines, moka pots, and other pressure-brewing methods.

Twongere is the name of both the washing station and the cooperative made up of 138 smallholder farmers, 96 of whom are women, located south of the Baramba River in the highest part of Rwanda’s Gakenke region. Their farms cover a total of around 400 hectares and are situated at elevations of 1,400–1,800 metres above sea level, where coffee cherries ripen more slowly and develop greater complexity.

The head of the cooperative is Theresa, whose priority is the education and professional development of all the growers. That is precisely what has allowed their beans to achieve higher and higher cupping scores year after year, and why they have long been counted among specialty coffees. All of Twongere’s production is certified Fair Trade, Organic, and Rainforest Alliance.

This is one of the few robustas that can be successfully enjoyed on its own, without being blended with arabica. It lacks the bitterness so often associated with the species, offering instead sweet, fruity notes that come without pronounced acidity. Its flavour profile is distinctly sweet: nuts, caramel, vanilla, marzipan, with a clear stone-fruit note and a full, almost heavy body.

These are certainly distinctive beans that will surprise many of you and may well convince you that 100% arabica is not necessarily the best choice for everyone. We recommend this coffee for all pressure-brewing methods, and it pairs beautifully with milk. It also performs very well in pour-over methods if you prefer your cup without acidity.